I won $350 in a tournament sponsored by the center I bowl in so I decided to put some of that money back to the Pro Shop.

I got a Storm Code Red with a pin up layout.

I'm still using a Mission X, which works well for me on most conditions. There are times when it doesn't turn the corner as I move left.

The code red is a hooking machine. It really reacts to friction on the lane.

In my night league, the center puts down a fresh layer of oil on top of what they put out in the morning. This double oil presents problems until it starts to break down. This is where the Mission X wasn't working too well. The code red is perfect on this shot as there is enough oil where I can still stand right of the 20 board.

I also bowl in a day league. We follow one league of senior women bowlers. They don't take much off but push the oil around a little. It's not quite pristine conditions but it's close to being the typical 10 - 10 41 ft shot.

The code red seems to be too much ball for these conditions. In the middle of game one, I was already standing at 25, drift to 28 and hitting 8 at the break point. (That's 8 boards left of where I stand for the Mission X) For me, at least, I found the ball to strike well but it has no miss room inside and I need to throw my best shot every time. After a 163 game I put it back in the bag.

I have only put 10 games on it. It not only likes oil but it needs oil to perform. I plan to practice on Saturday. Maybe It'll settle down a little with more games on it.

Thanks for the report Bill. I bought a Code Black a few months ago. My first night out with it my 2nd game was a 260+. It would come back from leaked shots to the right and that night it gave me hold on the shots towards the middle which I've not seen very often with anything I have.Since that first night, I've not witnessed the hold I had. The Code Black is plenty strong. Got the thumb hole opened up a little a couple of days ago and have to give it a go again.Picked up the Storm Torrent and it seems to be very smooth off the spot. Quite controllable. It should help me for this Fall and it may become the first ball out of the bag.Good luck!

I wouldn't consider the Code Black to be weaker, just different. The Code Black has a pearl cover stock vs hybrid on the Code Red. Pearls tend to be more skid flippy and hybrids more cleaner on the back end.

You're probably right about the strength of the Code Black. One of my favorite balls is the Hy-Road and it has the same cover as the Code Red. I rely on it to get me out of trouble. I have a Reign On and it's a hybrid cover, too, but with a 4000 grit finish. Nice!Over the last several years I've tried a couple of the R2S pearl cover balls and find that it tends to go too long; however, the IQ Tour 30 seems to work well. I can take a 3000 or 4000 pad to it or polish it up and it rolls nicely.Perhaps I ought to try a pad on the Code Black.

I subbed over the weekend for a travel league and used the code red for all 3 games.

I didn't start game 1 real well (194) with a split and open but moved left for game 2 and started striking. Had the first 5 but missed in 6 and 7 for spares. Moved left some more and finished the game with the last 5 for 267. Had a few more errant shots in game 3 but finished with 211 for 672.

I'm finding this ball will continue to work as long as I find fresh oil and hit the 8-10 at the range finders. I cam still use this ball when I'm standing at 28 - 30, which is usually too far left for me.

My Code Black has been skidding a bit too far recently. So I took a green Scotch-brite pad to it and scratched it up pretty good by hand. Then took a 3000 grit Abralon pad to it with less pressure, but for a longer period of time after cleaning off the mess from the Scotch-brite.Moved left one board and stayed there all morning today for a 617 in the senior league. Very pleased with the result. Was hitting the range finders at around board 8 or so. Perhaps I found a sweet spot for my speed and rev rate. Tossed the Torrent in game 3 it was good along the same target. Nice!

My Code Black spent a lot of time in the bag, so I started scuffing it a little at a time until the reaction smoothed out enough that I could throw it. I don't really like any pearl until I burn off the gloss finish.

_________________________
Experience is something you get immediately after you need it most

I tend to agree with Fin. most of my equipment ends up scuffed up. my Alpha took a little experimenting to find out what grit it likes. I start with 500 and try using finer grits until I get the right reaction.

of course, most balls lane shine after 2 games. the trick is finding a grit rhat migrates and works well when the heads start to get beat up.

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